What is gut microflora?
The gut can be viewed as an entire ecosystem in itself, with indigenous microorganisms existing throughout the gastrointestinal tract, (G.I.) known as gut microflora.
Many situations can cause the gut microflora to be thrown out of balance resulting in ill-effects. These situations include: periods of stress; antibiotic treatments; illness; changing of diet, etc. Therefore it is important for the gut to re-establish or maintain normal microflora to prevent disease.
The newly born animal shows greater susceptibility than the adult to oral infection by food-poisoning pathogens such as campylobacters and salmonellas (bad bacteria). This can be attributed to the virtual absence of intestinal microflora. Within a few hours of birth, the gastrointestinal tract of animals is rapidly colonised by facultative anaerobes, (an organism, usually a bacterium) particularly coliforms and streptococci which may be present in the immediate environment.
What are my options for building gut microflora?
Probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that reside in the intestinal tract, have long thought to aid digestion.
There is also growing evidence that probiotic treatments are especially beneficial for weanling animals because of the early establishment of healthy microflora.
Probiotic microorganisms exert their beneficial properties by
- Establishing or maintaining a healthy balance of gut microflora.
- Forms a protective barrier in the intestinal tract which prevents harmful bacteria and allergens from entering the general circulation. This helps reduce the risk of infections and allergies
- To rapidly colonise the immature gut of newly born animals with beneficial microorganisms.
Probiotics have been shown to
- Influence the immune system
- May prevent food allergies/hypersensitivity
- Alleviate inflammatory bowel disease
- Help reduce inflammation, as with arthritis
- Offsets the risk of diarrhea associated with the use of antibiotics
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